Improved eailway bail-coupling



' N0- 66,246. PATENTEDJULY 2, 1867.

J. NEWHAM. RAILWAY RAIL COUPLING.

, ro ALL WHOM IT M Y CONCERN:

. @aiteh tatnsigattntggffitt.

IMPROVED RAILWAY RAIL-COUPLING.

an fitlgrtultnftmt it in time httttts 33mm ant astringent at fin same.

Be it known that I, JQSEPE N nwmugof Kent, in the county of Portage, andState of Ohio, have invented a new and useful improvement in CouplingRailroad Rails; and I do hereby declare that the following is a'full,clear, andexact descriptiomof the constructionand operation of the same,reference being had to the annexed drawings, making 'a part ofthisispecification, in whlch-'--- Figure 1 represents in perspective theends of two rails'with my inventioh applied to couple and hold themtogether.

I Figure 2 represents in perspective my coupling detached from therails.

Figures 3 and 4' represent in perspective the parts of my couplingseparate; and Figures 5 and 6 represent in perspective the ends of tworails prepared to havemy coupling applied.

It is the object of my invention in coupling rails to hold them. rigidlyand truly in line, while leaving them free to contract and expandlongitudinally without interrupting the joint, and to keep them.truly-horizontal,

with the minimum depression at the, ends; and to this end my ih-vcntionconsists in notching the ends of the rails transversely beneath thetrend, and placing within the notches a nicely fitting bar, havinga=fixed headto 'match the curvature of the wel p of the rail or. oneside, and a slotted washer to'matchthe curvature of the web on the otherside, with a square draw-hole punchcdthrough the-bnr on the ifitside ofthe slotted washer'to receive a spike whiclrdi'aws the fixed head andwasher close upon the ends of the rai'ls,--and fastens the rail endssecurely to the eross-tie on which they meet.

To carryout the objects of my invention I out the ends of the rails Aand? perpendicularly to match each other, and notch them at C andDtransve rselyby severing the web in its thinnest po tion, taking carethat theedges of the notch in one rail register truly with the edges ofthe notch in the other, and thatt-he surfaces of the notch above andbelow are parallel to each other. I new form a block, E, having outerside a vertical, while its'inncr side 6 iscurved to match the depression0 of the rail, of Whatever form the railmay 'be. To the block E a bar,F, is firmly'sejcured so'as to let the curved side of the block Efitneatly the depression'on the rail, while the harsh fills neatly andfits trulyfthe notches C and D in the ends of the rails; ,The bar F hasa,sq'uare draw-hole, d, punched in its outer end that a spike maybeinserted into. .A washer, G, is formed to fit the depression of the railon one-side, and in a plane on the other for the spike H to rest againstand press upon the full width of the outside of. the washer. The loweredges of the rail ends have on one side notches f and it cut in them, sothat when then ends are brought together the spike may pass into" thecross-tie in contact with the washer G; and when a metal chair is usedfor the'ends of the rails to rest on, the chair must'also he punched topermit the spike to enter the ties.

. The operation of my invention is as follows: The ends of tlie railsbeing brought together upon a chair or cross-tie the bar is inserted inthe notches or slot'in the ends of the rails, and pushed up until thecurved sidie of the block, to which the bar is attached, comes snuglyinto the curve of the rail. The washer is then placed on the bar withits curved side toward the rail, audit is pushed into, contact with therail, when the spike is inserted and driven home. This atonceclam ps theends of-the rails together securely, as seen in fig. 1, and the spikeholds both the rails, and wheuoue is used, the chair securely in place,while the contraction and expansion of the rails longitudinally remainuninterrupted. Atthe same time the removal of a thin'web' from thecentre of the'ends' of the rails, and thes'ubstitution of the thickfandmore condensed bar therefor, strengthens V tlie ends of \tlie rails andsupports the tread against unduedepression, and preserves its surfacehearly uniform withthat oi the other portions of the rail.

It is obvious that l loclg'b ar, andn'asher may be made cheaply ofwroi'xght iron in proper swages,'or that cast iron rendered malleahlemay in many situations he used for'these parts with marked economy, andwithout any material diminution of the strength ofv the coupling; or theblock and washer may be cast, and the bar be of hammered iron.v It isalsoevident that the spike which holds the rails together will secureboth them and the chair in place upon'the tie, and thus one: spike will'he saved Whena chair isused for the ends of 1 the rails to rest upon. IWhat I claim as my invei tion, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-- 1. The combination of the. bar, block, and washer with the ends ofthe rails and spike, suhstantially as i and for the purpose sct'forth.

2. Securing the ends of railroad rails in position, substantially a andfor the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

Jo's. NEWHAM.

- witnesses:

FRANCIS L. Satin-1n, WILLI M G'umsnnn

